New Prespectives
by SAEDS
Summary: AU fic. In today's day and age, how well do you truly know your friends? Serena is cheerful, beautiful and smart; in her friend's eyes she has the perfect life, but Serena sees herself as a failure, incomplete and incompetent. What (or who) will it take to make Serena see herself in a new light? Sometimes all you need is a new perspective. -Rated T to be safe, for later chapters.
1. Introduction

Finding your path in life can be a daunting thing; it can leave you raw, exposed, and feeling altogether too inadequate or incompetent- yet we all go through it at one point in our lives. This story is not about that at all. In fact, anyone who knew Serena knew that she was the epitome of put-together, of having it all figured out. At the young age of 26, she had it all: the career, the confidence, the looks, the friends, the family- some might argue that she was lacking in love, but even they will be quick to tell you that it was not for lack of prospects. If you were to ask Serena herself, however, the story would look completely different: she was young, insecure and lonely, hated her job, and most of all- had no idea where she wanted to go in life. To anyone who "knew" Serena, this story couldn't possibly be about path-finding or such gibberish; Serena was definitely not in need of such rubbish…then again, did anyone really know Serena?

Disclaimer: Sailor Moon and its characters are the work of Naoko Takeuchi no copyright infringement is intended by this fanfiction and all credit for the Sailor Moon Universe goes to its original owners. The story, plot, and any original characters are my original work, copyright SAEDS, 2015.

She was your typical, optimistic bundle of sunshine; or at least that's how her friends would describe her. In her early years she was considered as a bit of a ditz and somewhat scatter-brained, but she had worked hard to remove any remnants of that image; all to prove him wrong.

Darien was your typical high-schooler back then: just a tad smart, just a tad handsome, and all-too-eager to tease poor Serena endlessly. She had only known him for a few short weeks before she had to move away, but during that time she made the resolve that she would prove him wrong; she would teach him that she could in fact walk two blocks without falling down and if she tried hard enough, she could at least pass most of her classes. Well, prove him wrong she did: moving away, she managed to re-create herself; she tried harder than anyone and focused on everything that she did, trying her hardest to never leave any room for criticism. Too bad there was no Darien around to rub in all of her accomplishments; it had been twelve years since she moved away, and twelve years since she'd last seen him.

'Then why am I all of a sudden thinking of the jerk?'

With a sigh, Serena cleared her mind of her musings and turned her attention to weaving through the many bodies that rushed through the busy sidewalk, careful to hide her crowd anxiety as well as any clumsiness that might slip out; she had an image to uphold, after all.

Suddenly, she bumped into something- or someone- and quickly picked up the briefcase she had dropped while she started to apologize. "I'm terribly sorry, this crowd-"

"Why don't you learn to walk and breathe at the same time instead of daydreaming? You'll get trampled by these zombies."

She looked up to place a face to that irritatingly deep, familiar voice, but only looked up with enough time to see a tall, lean back walking away and quickly disappearing in the crowd.

'That seemed oddly familiar…' she thought, but brushed it off, knowing that it was unlikely that she would run into that person again, yet feeling for all her life as if she desperately wanted to.

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A/N: Hi all! It has been a good long while since I sat down and tried to write a story, but something keeps bugging me to get back to writing. This is only my second story, so please be kind, but I welcome positive feedback as well as _constructive_ criticism; anything to help my writing improve.

I really hope that you enjoy, and I will try my best to post regularly. This is an AU fic, but I tried to draw most of my inspiration from the manga. Read and enjoy.

I LOVE reviews, they are what keep me going and push me to write more!


	2. New Beginnings

AN at the bottom. Standard disclaimers apply: Characters belong to Naoko, but the plot and story are mine. Please enjoy!

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CHAPTER 2

He had finally made it! After long years of studying and preparation, Darien Shields had the reputation and the know-how to make it in the big city, and without hesitation had moved right in, hoping that the change in pace and the up-beat atmosphere would help him get rid of the doom and gloom that seemed to emanate from his very core. Darien didn't mean to be grumpy or come across as unapproachable; as a matter of fact, he felt that he was quite friendly. No matter how hard he tried to change his image, it always turned out the same: if he was feeling shy and had trouble making eye contact, he was seen as ill-tempered and mean; if he was feeling proud or accomplished after a job well-done, then he was seen as arrogant and pompous- he couldn't win, so he had stopped trying.

'Ah, but new city: new life! It will all be different now!' he thought optimistically as he entered his new (and very bare) apartment on the 14th floor. It would be a pain to have to move in to the 14th floor, but the view would definitely be worth it!

Darien grinned as he looked out of the wall-to-ceiling window located where his living-room would be. "Now that's a view!" He took one last look and walked around his new apartment before heading back out, hoping to be moved in and settled within a few days, as his first day in the new office would be in less than a week and he had to be prepared.

Goofy grin still in place, he walked out the door just in time to hear the door across the hall slam shut, the occupant seeming to be in a rush.

'Odd, seems I might have some interesting neighbors…' All he saw was a flurry of blonde hair disappearing around the corner, rushing to whatever destination.

He continued on his way out of the building at a more leisurely pace than the owner of the golden-blonde tendrils.

"Interesting, indeed."

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Serena could NOT believe she was pulling this stunt again; she had been so good with her punctuality for so long, yet here she was back to square one.

"I'd been doing so well, too. I'm sorry Mina! I'll be there soon, I promise. Please don't leave!" After having promised again and again that she would be on time, here she was 20 minutes late! Poor Mina was probably fuming by now. She shut her phone and continued to [amazingly] maneuver her way through the street without knocking anyone down, quite a feat in the overly-busy streets.

She was attempting to catch her breath when she spotted her cousin Mina and who she assumed was the boyfriend that she was supposed to be meeting today. Mina waved her over happily, seemingly not bothered by Serena's lack of punctuality.

With a rushed breath, she walked over to the couple who were comfortably chatting on the outside seating of Serena's favorite little Italian Café. "I'm so sorry I'm late, what a horrible first impression I must be making! Hi, I'm Serena; you must be Malachite!" She gave the man a cheeky yet apologetic grin, and his charming expression told her that he had not minded one bit spending some extra alone time with Mina, who at the moment had her fingers intertwined in his.

"Hi Serena, pleasure to meet you" he politely stood to greet her, reluctantly letting go of Mina. After Serena sat down, he reclaimed his place next to Mina, confirming to Serena their turtle-dove status.

Mina had a sheepish look on her face that Serena initially attributed to her obvious public flirting, but as it became directed at her, she began to worry. With a suspicious narrowing of her eyes, she addressed her cousin and soon-to-be ex-best-fried if she was reading Mina's look right. "Mina, just spill it; I know you're up to something. Please just tell me it's not another one of your match-making schemes…"

"Well…in my defense, it was totally last-minute that Malachite's best friend came to town and wanted to meet me, so it just so happened to be very convenient and we invited him along…" She hesitated to continue.

Serena continued to give her the suspicious stare. "So far sounds innocent enough, so why do you look guilty, Mina? I'm going to find out soon, so it's best you spill it."

"Well, Serena- you see: I had NO idea, I promise you that I didn't, otherwise I wouldn't have agreed to this unless I gave you ample notice but there was no way for me to know so please, pretty please don't hate me, I promise I'll owe you one if you just promise to be nice. Remember that he's Malachite's best friend and I want to make a good impression, pretty, pretty please?" Mina managed to rush all of this out in one breath, and was now pausing for air.

It took Serena a few seconds to process, and as she did her stomach sank, expecting the worst due to Mina's reluctance to divulge the identity of the mystery man. She urged Mina to continue, raising an eyebrow as she asked "so, who is this man and why are you stalling?"

"I'm not stalling" Mina said with an exaggerated cheerfulness.

Serena gave Mina her best "oh, please" look and turned to Malachite for assistance.

"Well, from what I hear, it seems that you knew my best friend back when you were much younger, right Mina?" Malachite expertly and successfully diverted the attention back to Mina, not wanting to be the recipient of the death-glare Serena was now sporting.

"Well Serena, you see…he's umm…well, he has dark hair and midnight blue eyes, used to go to Azabu high, if I recall correctly, and well…he, he, err…"

"He's here" interrupted Malachite, standing up and waving over this mysterious friend of his.

Serena was almost afraid to turn around and look, already having a sneaking suspicion of who that dark hair and midnight-blue eyes might belong to, judging by Mina's obvious hesitation and her own dread sneaking up on her.

She slowly turned around, and as blue met blue, she felt that familiar surge of electricity flow throughout her being, a feeling she hadn't felt in twelve long years.

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A/N-

Hello again! I know it's a bit short, but I plan on making up for it with frequent updates. Please review, I LOVE to hear your thoughts; they truly motivate me, and a writer can never have too much motivation!

Thank you to those who have reviewed and added my story to their notifications/favorites, it means the world to me!

Let me know what you think! I already have a few things planned for the next chapter, but the ideas are just floating around in my mind; nothing is set in stone yet ;)


	3. New Acquaintances

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CHAPTER 3

As he approached the café, Darien became aware of two things: One- his best friend was most definitely grinning like a fool in love and it could be seen even from afar, and two- that familiar hairstyle and particular honey-blonde head of hair seemed oddly familiar. As he approached the group, he noticed the nervous look that Malachite's girl- was Mina her name?- was aiming in the direction of the blonde in front of her. He heard Malachite announce his entrance, and the mysterious blonde slowly and reluctantly turned around. As his eyes sought her cerulean blues, there was a definite sensation that made Darien feel slightly exposed and rather unnerved. He know those eyes; they had haunted him for the past 12 years, showing him the joy and pure love that would never be directed at him, the trust that would never be given to him, for purity such as that found in Serena was a rare gem, and something that the likes of him would tarnish if it were ever to shine in his gloomy world.

Of course he remembered Serena. Though it had been years since he last saw her, how could anyone ever forget her exuberance, her caring nature and annoyingly endearing little habits? To Darien, she was a light that was sent to shine and brighten the world around her, but even her pure light would be swallowed up by his darkness- he was certain that his gloom would spread over anyone who got too close… Knowing this, he renewed his resolve from all of those years ago to keep her at arm's length, lest he ruin her joy and innocence. He set his old trademark mocking grin in place, walked directly up to her and leaned down until he was at face-level with her, being sure to maintain their eye-contact.

"Long time no see Meat Ball head. How's the sidewalk been treating you?" He patted her head as one would a child and went on to greet his friend and Mina, all the while feeling the fire at his back where Serena was more than likely glaring daggers at him. Mission accomplished.

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She was positively fuming! How dare him! Not even two seconds go by, after all those years, and all he has to do was open his mouth and set them back to their teenage years. Never mind that she was a grown woman now, more than capable of walking down the street with grace and dignity (the fact that she tripped down the three steps outside of her apartment complex on her way over was besides the point); the guy was still the same irritating jerk as he was all of those years ago, so of course that would explain her rapidly-beating heart and how much her body temperature had risen; it had absolutely nothing to do with his chiseled jaw and incredibly defined muscle- no way was she affected by that jerk.

Noticing that he had already settled into conversation with the others and was quickly approaching a seat, she made an effort to try and return from her musings to pay attention to the conversation. It was then she realized that the only seat available was the one next to her. Would it be rude to move over to the left? As he took his seat, his leg brushed against hers and lingered, and she felt that familiar jolt course through her. A little too late she realized that she had tensed up; not wanting him to notice how he affected her, she tried desperately to act natural, but it was too late.

He turned his head towards her and winked, leaning in closer so that only she could hear. "Relax Meatball Head, I don't bite". As he whispered in her ear, she felt an involuntary shiver run down her spine, and she wondered if he was as affected as she was, but as she turned towards him, she noticed that he was already deep in conversation with Malachite and that no one else had noticed their little exchange.

She did notice that their thighs were still touching, and though it was the merest whisper of a touch, she could feel the heat radiating from him. She reminded herself how unaffected he was, judging by his animated conversation with the group. Serena would be dammed if she'd show him he'd won by letting him know that he was affecting her, so she pressed her leg just a bit closer to him, to let him know just how unaffected she was, of course, and turned to Mina to immerse herself in conversation. Two could play at this game!

Turning fully to face Mina, thus pointedly and successfully ignoring him, she smiled brilliantly at her friend hoping she would get the hint. "So Mina, what's the latest on those Greski papers you were working on? I finished up with my report, so if you need any help, you know I'm your gal." There, she would show him that she was a competent and responsible adult and that would be that. They could get this day over with and he'd leave her life once again, tail between his legs knowing how much better she was now.

Mina gave her a confused look, not seeming to get the hint. "Serena, you know I hate talking about work on our days off, hun; the reports will be there when we get back, I'm sure." She immediately turned to Darien and smiled. "I hear rumors that you have plans to move to the big city, any truth to that?"

'That traitor' thought Serena, but she could not help but to lean a bit towards her nemesis with interest, awaiting his response.

He gave a nervous laugh that was almost indiscernible and covered it up with a chuckle, but Serena was close enough to him to tell the difference. "Well, you know how rumors go Mina. Nothing is set in stone, right? Let's not feed into the rumors just yet, but Malachite will be the first to know should anything become public knowledge."

"Well, that was a polite 'buzz off' if I've ever heard one; who knew the Neanderthal here had any manners?"

"Meatball Head, you wouldn't know manners if they hit you in the face, of course you'd find their use shocking".

She fumed at the repeated use of her dreaded nickname. "Well, at least I know the difference between a meatball and a pig-tail. These-" she grabbed a hold of one of her long tresses for emphasis "are called Pig Tails, stupid, Pig Tails!" She stuck out her tongue at him for good measure, effortlessly reverting back to her teenage antics; the man brought out the worst in her.

"Pig Tails, huh?" She felt a tug on her hair and turned her head slightly to see him pulling at her hair. What started as a childish tug evolved into a caress as he ran his hand down her silky hair, and Serena could feel the heat creeping up on her cheeks in what she prayed was NOT the beginnings of a blush. He let her go and Serena almost let out a sigh of relief, but then his hand traveled up to her bun and his hand lingered there in what felt strangely like a caress…of course there was no way that Darien would ever do such a thing, her imagination must be playing tricks on her!

Looking into his eyes for some type of clue, she found herself entranced in those deep blue eyes. As in the past, she could feel herself sinking into their depths, as if they could see into her soul; the feeling unnerved her, unfamiliar as it was, yet it drew her in. She found herself slowly leaning closer, her mind seeming to have gone on vacation for all the thought she was giving her actions.

The deep, midnight-blue eyes blinked in front of her and the spell was broken. Serena jumped back a bit, with his hand still attached to the hair atop her hear.

The glazed look in his eyes- was that a glazed look in his eyes? She was probably imagining things again- disappeared, and was replaced by a mocking glint. "These things atop your head still look like meatballs to me, Meatball Head". He gave her hair one last tug and turned back to their friends.

Belatedly remembering that they were in company, Serena turned around hoping that no one had noticed her momentary lapse in sanity, but she noticed that Mina and Malachite were enveloped in their own little world and were oblivious to their surroundings. Not that anything had happened, of course… nothing out of the ordinary. Darien had not caressed her, and she had felt nothing at all. The goose bumps on her arm were from the chilled June air and the heat on her cheeks was from rising heat and certainly not a blush. Nope.

As she stole a sideways glance at the man sitting next to her, she made sure that some of her hair veiled her face from his view. She noticed that his leg had remained next to hers through the entire exchange.

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A/N:

That's all for today! I tried to make the chapter a bit longer this time, I'll keep working on that. Hope you guys enjoyed. For those of you in the US, hope you had an enjoyable and safe Memorial day J

More to come soon. Please continue to review and comment. I love hearing your thoughts and suggestions. I am also looking for a Beta Reader, so if anyone is interested, please let me know.

Thank you again for reading!


	4. New Discoveries

CHAPTER 4

**(A/N at the bottom)**

What in the world had gotten into him? As the party of four began to say their fare-wells, he silently berated himself for allowing the moment to get away from him. So what if he'd been dying to know if the honey-blonde locks felt as silky as they looked; so what if his fingers had been itching to touch and the nearness of her had been messing with his senses. He had absolutely no right to be touching her in that way. Not only was the thought simply idiotic, out of character and unwarranted, his body had no reason to be betraying him in that way; there was no way that he could feel any need to touch clumsy little Serena, after all she was nothing but a clumsy crybaby and much too pure and innocent for the likes of him.

Darien attempted to rein in his thoughts and exchanged pleasantries with Mina, letting her know that it had been a pleasure to meet her as well and that yes, they should definitely do this again sometime. He was grateful that he'd had the movers work on his new place while he was away for a few hours, glad to have a nearby place to sort his mind. Though his move was "official" in every sense of the word, he still owed his previous office the courtesy of keeping his leave private until the end of the market week, so as not to affect them financially; no official announcement would be made until next week. He did feel bad for lying to Mina, but at least he'd been "polite" about it, according to Meatball Head.

He stood to get up and leave at the same time as Serena, and he noticed that she was headed the same direction as him. Watching her carefully he noticed her nearly missing a light post to then almost run into a poorly-placed trash can. Though seeming to play it off well, he noticed that his little Meatball Head was still the same clumsy girl he knew. He smiled slightly, speeding up his pace to catch up to her.

At the feel of his hand at her waist, she turned in shock and almost jumped until she recognized him.

"Are you stalking me now, Meatball Head?"

"It seems that age has fried your brain cells; you're the one who is following ME!" she turned around in a huff and nearly collided with a pedestrian.

Using the arm he already had about her waist Darien pulled her towards him, effectively avoiding the collision, but also bringing her even closer. The sweet scent of vanilla was assaulting his senses; they must be, because how else could he explain not being willing to let her go when she composed herself and attempted to pull away? His reluctance had nothing to do with the curve of her slim waist or the barest whisper of exposed skin that lay beneath his fingertips. Of course not, there was no way that this slip of a girl could affect Darien Shields. So then why was he still holding onto her?

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Why, oh why was he still holding on to her? Serena could hardly concentrate on breathing let alone walking down the sidewalk, still busy despite the late-afternoon hour. All she could think of was the way his fingertips were brushing against her bare skin with every step she took, and the absolute male scent that radiated from him. The proximity to her childhood tormentor must be frying her brain, because at this very moment her own fingers were itching to touch said tormentor, and that could not possibly be rational thought on her brain's part. Yes, her brain cells must be malfunctioning…

She could see her building fast approaching. Was that disappointment she felt? Definitely not, she was probably just tired. Good thing tomorrow was Saturday and a day off; she planned to do nothing but binge-watch her favorite shows and pig out in front of the couch, no disturbances. Oh, what a glorious thought that was. First though, she would have to disentangle herself from Darien- what a weird thought that was- could this day get any more bizarre?

As she slowed down, causing him to slow as well, she turned to face him. It was a bit awkward now, having walked so close to him and in silence for so long. Darien still had not let her go, and when she turned around, his other arm came instinctively around her, effectively wrapping her in a loose, yet still slightly intimate embrace. For a minute she froze as if entranced when she looked into his eyes, 'eyes so deep that they can see into my soul'. The thought terrified her. She blinked rapidly and broke the trance, hurriedly saying "this is me," her words coming out a bit timid despite herself.

Darien furrowed his brow, seemingly confused, and looked up at the building then back down at the blonde still in his arms. "You must be joking…this is actually my place."

She returned his confused look, thinking back to the earlier conversation regarding his living status. "I thought you told Mina that those rumors weren't true. I figured you would be staying at a hotel nearby or something. Are you here with a friend?"

"Well, I guess the cat's out of the bag: you might as well come with me, I can explain better inside. Never know who might be listening." He started walking, dropping his hands from her in the process.

"Boy, someone's paranoid…"she jokingly replied, but turned to follow him into his…her building; curiosity getting the best of her.

They stepped onto the elevator and he pressed the 14th floor- her floor. She felt that this must be some type of joke that Mina put him up to, there was no way, this was too big of a coincidence and someone's sick attempt at a bad joke. She looked at him questioningly, but he just stared at the elevator doors. As they heard the elevator ding and the doors opened to their destination, Serena stepped out and started heading towards her door out of habit. When she realized what she was doing, she turned to apologize but noticed that he was right behind her, headed in the same direction. Her apartment was the one at the end of the hall, directly ahead of them, so she figured maybe he'd decided to follow her there to talk. She began feeling a bit apprehensive about welcoming a virtual stranger into her home, then immediately dismissed those thoughts; Darien might be a jerk to her, but she knew that he was a good person and completely harmless, besides there wasn't a chance in Hades that he would even think of her in any way other than a convenient klutz to tease.

Darien stopped just short of her door, turning to the left side. She noticed that he was in front of the apartment to the left of hers, and he pulled out a single key, proceeding to open the door. At first she just stood there, flabbergasted. She stared, not believing what was happening.

"Wait, wait, wait, please just wait a minute. Tell me this is a joke. There is no WAY that you're my, my…my neighbor! Did Mina put you up to this? Ha-ha, very funny guys!" She gave a small laugh then looked at him pleadingly. "You ARE joking…aren't you?"

"What are you going on about, Meatball Head? I told you that this is my building. I moved in today. And what do you mean by neighbors?"

She pointed to the door to her right, the apartment at the end of the hall, and effectively perpendicular to the door that they were standing at. "This. This is my apartment door."

"Ha! You really ARE stalking me then Meatball Head. I mean, I knew I was irresistible, but this is going a bit far, don't you think?"

"Ugh, you jerk! I can't believe I have to live near you. Why did you have to pick this particular building, you inopportune dingle-brain, you! You're the one who's stalking me!"

Darien outright laughed, this time. "Dingle-brain, that's rich!" More laughter. "What are you, in the 2nd grade? I'll give you points for originality." He swiped at a fake tear, presumably from his laughter. Serena was not amused. She pushed past him through his open door and huffed as she breezed past him.

She turned to him, noticing that he followed her in. Once he got closer, she jabbed her index finger on his chest. "Why are you in my city, in my building, next to MY apartment door? Spill it."

He grabbed her finger, effectively stopping her insistent poking, and looked her in the eye. He was so close; Serena could see her reflection in his eyes. She expected to see anger there, but their depths revealed nothing to her probing gaze, but seemed to reflect her own sudden nervousness. She wasn't sure who moved or why, but suddenly they were mere inches apart, and she found herself wondering if he was going to kiss her.

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Someone's phone rang, breaking Darien out of the trance her clear blue eyes had put him in. A siren, she must be a siren to be able to alter his emotions so. He took a step back and turned around, running a hand through his dark locks to try and clear his head. She had asked him a question, something about…

"Why are you here?"

He turned around as though startled by the mere whisper of words. Yes, that question. For fear of damaging the market value of his previous company, they had kept his resignation as branch director a secret. He didn't expect her to understand, but he proceeded to explain the situation, emphasizing that no one, not even his close friends could find out about his current status until the official announcement was made. "Do you understand my predicament and the importance of your silence?"

Serena seemed to take everything in, and she nodded when he was done explaining the situation. "I understand" she conceded. "I won't say a word."

"This isn't just the typical gossip column type of rumor, Serena. People's livelihoods are at stake here; you can't go blabbing off to your friends the first chance you get." The moment the words left his mouth, he knew they had been a bit too harsh, but he needed to get his point across. He immediately saw the change in her: she stood just a bit taller, raised her head just an inch higher, narrowed her eyes just so; she was offended.

"How dare you. I am not a child, Darien. I know the meaning of discretion, you cretin. Condescending jerk! Your secret is safe, rest assured. Why I would feel the need to mention your name to anyone in my life is beyond me. Don't be so conceited- believe me when I say that your presence on this planet is of no consequence to me." With that, she turned in a huff, her hair trailing behind her and nearly smacking him in the face with the force of her departure.

"Well, that went well…" The door slammed behind her, resonating with a loud thud in his suddenly-lonely apartment.

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A/N: Well, there you have it- the fourth installment to our little adventure. I have some fun things planned for this so I'm excited to continue. Please, please, please review! I want to hear tour thoughts, even if you aren't singing my praises, I don't mind, constructive criticism and suggestions are also welcome. It's always nice to know that someone is reading your work.


	5. New Sensations

CHAPTER 5

Serena stormed into her apartment. It was unnerving the way that this man could still affect her emotions so. With just a few words she went from hot, to cold, to-heated in a span of thirty seconds. Damn the man. She walked into her bedroom and proceeded to discard the pink blouse and the jeans she had been wearing and changing into her "in-house" shorts, but opting to stay in the comfortable undershirt that she had been wearing.

Belatedly she recalled that she'd heard a phone ring in Darien's apartment and checked her cell phone- Mina had called. Pressing re-dial, she dreaded the inquisition that was sure to come after Mina saw her and Darien essentially leaving the café together.

"Hi Mina, what's up?" As she answered the phone, she heard a rushed knock on the door. She opened the door without giving it a second thought, thinking it was Mina. She was taken aback when instead of Mina's friendly face she saw a broad chest that pushed past her without a moment's notice.

"Meatball Head, you can't just leave in the middle of civilized conversation".

"Serena, are you there? Is that DARIEN I hear on the other end?! ANSWER ME!"

She cringed at the shouted words in her ear, having forgotten about her friend on the other line the moment that Darien breezed through her door. "Sorry Mina, I have to let you go. I promise I'll fill you in. Sorry!" She hung up without giving the other blonde a chance to respond.

"Well, why don't you come on in and make yourself at home?" The sarcasm in her voice was pointed. "And we were certainly not having a civilized conversation, which in case you missed, is now over. Please enlighten me as to what you're doing in my apartment." She turned towards him and thought for a moment that he was staring a little too far south, but it must have been her imagination; the moment she blinked he was looking her square in the eye. Whether she imagined it or not, she was suddenly conscious of her current outfit: a form-fitting tank-top that left little to the imagination when it came to her generous upper-curves and shorts that bordered on the indecent, showing off her thighs for the world to see. Despite herself, she began to feel self-conscious, wondering if there was stubble on her legs or if her figure wasn't as flat as he would prefer…not that she cared about his preferences…

She went around to her couch, hoping that sitting in her domain would help her gain a bit more confidence and hide her insecurities, what she wasn't expecting was for Darien to sit down directly next her. She was not prepared for his closeness, though she was sure that he sat close to intimidate her. He certainly was not accounting for the plush cushions on her couch to slightly give way and bring him even closer, effectively wrapping the two in a rather intimate and unintentional tête-à-tête.

In a hushed tone that under different circumstances and with a different person Serena would have qualified as rather husky and seductive, he whispered to her "Serena, you positively infuriate me." As he said this, he leaned in even closer and reached out a hand to place against her cheek.

She was about to return an indignant remark despite the tender touch, but he continued "however, I am sorry if I was harsh earlier. I know that I can be somewhat…"

"Rude? Impatient? Uncivil?"

He broke their contact as he stood, turning away toward the sliding-glass doors of her balcony, and effectively putting some distance between them. "Right, I deserved that."

She immediately missed his warmth, and stood to walk towards him as if on autopilot , stopping only a few feet from him and leaning against the wall, pausing to allow him to continue with his thought.

He finally faced her after a few moments, and in turn leaned against the glass, mirroring her stance.

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He REALLY needed to stop looking down her shirt. But by Jove this woman must be deliberately trying to tempt him! Never mind that she'd had no idea that he was going to barge into her home, the kind of outfit she was wearing must have been put on this earth for the sole purpose of torturing the male species; it revealed just enough to tease without being indecent. The top of her milky breasts were displayed just so, giving him a tantalizing view of her cleavage, and those shorts revealed those smooth long legs that seemed to go on for miles. He found himself having to concentrate on NOT staring at her.

Attempting to clear his head, he moved from the couch to get some distance from her, but she followed after him; did she have no idea what she was doing to him? She's the girl that he was supposed to love to tease and here he was unable to get impure thoughts out of his head. He needed to get his hormones in check and bring them back to their teasing atmosphere; this was dangerous territory he was wondering into.

To clear the air (and his unwarranted thoughts), he turned to her and reverted back to her usual nickname: "Meatball Head," hoping that she would respond accordingly and begin their usual banter.

She only looked back up at him, seemingly in a daze and responded with a rather weak "jerk." Not the full-fledged Meatball-Headed insults he was expecting, but a start.

Suddenly there was a flash of lightning, followed by a rather loud and ominous clap of thunder, and the next thing he knew he was being tackled by a heap of long legs and blonde hair. The unexpected impact bought them both crashing to the ground. She landed in a rather compromising position, lying on top of him with her head on his chest. Those cerulean blues blinked up at him as though disoriented for a moment, wide and startled. His hands moved on their own volition, grabbing her about the waist and effectively bringing her closer to him, if that were possible.

This seemed to bring her out of her trance, and she blinked a few more times as if to clear her head. "I'm sorry; I don't know what came over me. I used to be terrified of storms as a child, but they don't bother me anymore. I must have been startled, please don't tease me about his, too."

Feeling a sudden wave of tenderness and glad to see a glimpse of the clumsy Meatball Head that he was used to, he held onto her and pulled her even closer for the briefest of moments, then suddenly as if realizing what he was doing, he let her go.

Serena immediately stood up and offered him a hand. At his lack of response she continued: "I am sorry…"

"Well, my little outburst earlier was nothing to be proud of. We'll just call this even, Meatball Head."

"Would you quit calling me that? I have a name you jerk, learn to use it!"

"Now that's the Meatball Head I know and love to tease." He could still recall the feel of her lying on top of him, and the images that conjured sent his libido into overdrive; Serena was no longer a child, and the realization was doing things to his head. He had to keep reminding himself that this was Meatball Head, and that she was still his clumsy little underclassman. For good measure, he smiled and patted her on the head as one would a small child. This might prove to be an interesting arrangement after all.

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A/N- Not much to say really, just thank you for reading my story and thank you so very much to those of you who have taken some time to review; I truly appreciate it. Hope you enjoy this chapter!

TropicalRemix- refer to the beginning of chapter 4 for his reasoning; your other question will be answered shortly ;)

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